Friday, June 27, 2003

Strom Thurmond has passed away at 100 years old. Well, the last death mentioned was Maynard Jackson, a great civil rights advocate. Strom was the kind of folk that Maynard had to be active against.

Also, not all victories in Court this week have been on the side of civil rights. In a first ammendment victory to some, loss to myself (and anyone else with their head screwed on), a firefighter and police officer were found to have been wrongfully fired for participating in a float that mocked the James Byrd dragging in Texas.

And in one of his scariest, yet smart, political moves thus far Ward Connerly has vowed to come to Michigan and host a ballot initiative to remove race as a factor in higher education admissions. This is a pretty savy move because a local ballot initiative can block "the law of the land."

And lastly, the hip-hop generation is finally getting some props for its intellectual depth. No, you probably won't ever see these folks on the BET awards, but it's a beginning!

The decisions are in and the press conference is getting underway in Ann Arbor on the Diag. I was able to catch a little CNN coverage this morning which featured a number of Michigan student activists! Fast and dirty summary: Law School system of admission upheld as "narrowly tailored," diversity is a compelling state interest, and this race can be used as a factor. Undergraduate case: Partial reversal- meaning: the point system is dead. But race can still be considered in undergraduate admissions. Overall, Victory . This is really good news.

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Oh, Abercrombie & Fitch is also now fielding a discrimination lawsuit. The suit filed by a number of Latino and Asian plantiffs suggests that Latinos, APA's, and African Americans are steered towards stock room jobs, etc.. Check the AP article in the Times click here.

While some concentrate on the impending decisions about U of M, Benton Harbor has been gaining national attention from rioting! The city, about 12,000 has been rioting for about 2 days in an 8 block radius. The riots began after a fatal chase that involved two motorcycles and police cars. Essentaily they are eligble for a state of emergency where the national guard can be called in, but that hasn't happened yet. Tonight there will be a heavy police state rolling in and there has been a curfew placed from 10pm to 5am.

Monday, June 16, 2003

We may be moments away for finding out the Supreme Court Decision on the U of M Affrimative Action cases. The decision will be known at about 9am on the this Monday or next Monday (the 23rd, the original estimation of when the decision would come forward) SSAA will be holding a press conference on the graduate library steps at noon on decision day. The conference will feature speakers ranging from the Speaker of the Black Student Union to the head of the ACLU. More details will follow.

After a couple day hiatus, I return. Shirley Stamps, a pioneer in the school desegregation movement passed away yesterday at 59. For all those who seem to believe Affirmative Action has run its course, let us not forget that less than a generation ago school were segregated by law and now are segregated by fact.

Do you like what you hear? If you have managed to tune into Black radio have you noticed there is a striking lack of news, well at least credible news. The Black Commentator has a fly exploration of why that is. The FCC voted on Monday to relax restrictions on ownership of media and the cost could be high for our community. Some Dems and even some Republicans are thinking about taking congressional action to block the action. What every happened to People's radio? Stay up!

I hadn't written on this because I think I hold a grudge against Russell Simmons, but nonetheless it's important! Simmons and company are trying to get the Rockefeller laws overturned through the, "Countdown to Fairness" coalition. So far they have gained some mainstream political clout as well as grassroots support from young members of the hip-hop generation. I heard the process was stalled recently when the city wouldn't give him permits for a demonstration he wanted to had . . . good thing demonstrations are sanctioned by cities now, or else we may actually disturb something while demonstrating ;) And is anyone else scared of 50 cent speaking up on these laws? Is that who we want representing us?

What this blog is.

I consider this blog my cyber home. I like it particularly because I don't have to pay high rent prices, though much like my real home I don't really own it. Regardless, this blog is simply about my state of being: I am Black at Michigan. I'm completing a PhD in Sociology and Public Policy at University of Michigan. This is my take on things. Feel free to comment with your take.
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